In addition to the Religious Art and Architecture Awards, the AIA Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture (IFRAA) sponsors the Elbert M. Conover Memorial Award. Unlike the Religious Art and Architecture Awards, this award is bestowed upon individuals rather than projects.

History

The Elbert M. Conover Memorial Award was established in 1953 by the Church Architecture Guild of America. It was later administered by the Guild for Religious Architecture, IFRAA Inc., and then by the AIA IFRAA Knowledge Community. This award is given to a non-architects in recognition of their contributions to religious architecture in order to:

• Perpetuate in the hearts and minds of those interested in religious architecture memories of our deceased leader;
• Encourage leaders, outside the architecture profession, to crusade for better religious architecture;
• Recognize outstanding individuals who merit citation for their excellence in fostering spiritual values.

Dr. Conover spent 11 years in the ministry and was appointed director of the Bureau of Architecture of the Methodist Church in 1924. He became the first director of the Interdenominational Bureau of Architecture, later titled the Bureau of Church Building and Architecture, National Council of the Churches of Christ of the United States of America.

Nominations

Nominations are accepted from IFRAA members from January 1 to May 1 of each year.

All nominees are held to the same criteria:

• Be a non-architect;
• Demonstrate a passion for and dedication to quality worship and sacred spaces;
• Foster spiritual values;
• Promote a cross-denominational community focused on religious arts and architecture.

Recipients are selected by a panel of their peers and IFRAA members:

• Two previous Conover award recipients
• Three subject matter experts (architects) identified by IFRAA
• Two non-architect members of IFRAA

Past Award Recipients

1953 Elbert M. Conover
1956 Edward Frey
1963 Henry Lee Willet
1965 G. E. Kidder-Smith
1966 Rev. H. A. Reinhold
1967 Rev. J. Gordon Davies
1969 J. Irwin Miller
1970 William S. Clark
1971 Harry Downie
1972 Rev. Glenn Gothard
1973 Rev. James Doom
1974 Beverly R. Tucker
1975 Joseph Sittler
1976 Rev. Godfrey Diekman
1977 Rolland Sheafor
1979 Robert E. Rambusch
1984 Donald J. Bruggink
1988 Hal Watkins
1990 Richard Vosko
1996 Betty Meyer
2000 Al Fisher
2002 E. Crosby Willet
2007 D. Patrick Russell, PhD

Queries

For information on the nomination process, please e-mail ifraa@aia.org.